Two Holy Grounds

Book excerpt: On the fourteenth day after His perfect enlightenment, Shakyamuni Buddha gave definitive teachings in nine assemblies. In these assemblies, He revealed to advanced Bodhisattvas the hindrance-free dharma realm of the one mind, and gave them the One Vehicle to Buddhahood through the six stages of the Bodhisattva Way. These teachings are contained in the Mahavaipulya Sutra of Buddha Adornment (Buddhavatamsaka-mahavaipulya-sutra), which is revered by Chinese Buddhists as the king of all sutras. Based on texts in the Chinese Buddhist Canon, this book, Rulus fifth, presents the English translations of the teachings in this sutra on the last two stages of the Bodhisattva Way, the Virtual Buddha Ground and the Buddha Ground. The translators introduction summarizes the teachings in this sutra and presents the five theses of the Huayan School of China, which explain that all things in the universe are interconnected and in complete unity. This book will benefit readers at all levels and can serve as a basis for scholarly research.